On my own It was so hot that afternoon that Amy stayed in while I took myself on a walking tour to the picturesque Old Town. It is a beautiful New England area with narrow streets and attractive houses. Not sure why Amy preferred to stay in since it was only 103 degrees F.
I told you it was hot!
On my way, I stopped to talk to the lady in the visitor center. I mentioned that the main streets
do not have street signs on them, but only the side streets are signed. She said this was partially true. They are signed at some major intersections... Unless you know the area, this is very confusing.
Intersection that has the cross street marked, but not the main street
I had seen a number of red, white and blue ˝ circle banners and wondered what they were called. So at one point I asked a lady that had them hung around her house. She said they were called buntings. (pic). I enjoyed talking to her and others on my walk. Amy was surprised that I was able to engage a number of people in conversation - must be the southern charm :-) One lady told me that an old castle
is now a home and has a carousel in the foyer!
Buntings on a house
Castle with carousel
Ft Sewall I walked to Ft Sewall, which was built in 1644 and enlarged in 1742 for defense against French cruisers and at one point it protected the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides). The French felt that the fishing fleet in the harbor was a threat since it was so prolific. It is interesting that during the American Revolution whenever an enemy patrolled the area, the fort put on such an impressive show that they were never attacked. This was good, since they
did not have any gunpowder!
Ft Sewall
I saw a flower shop and decided to explore it. It was nice but VERY expensive. For instance, they had a 6” Phalaenopsis orchid in bloom with one blooming spike (stem) and some dried branches in a clay pot for $87.50! I can get a similar plant at nurseries even in Atlanta for under $30.00.
Abbot Hall On my way back to Amy’s, I went in Abbot Hall. I had seen the clock tower from the other side of the bay when we went to the lighthouse. I found out that it is where the US Navy was born and it is home to Archibald M. Willard's famous painting, The Spirit of '76.
Abbott Hall
Painting "Spirit of 76"
Plaque on house showing the date and owner when built
Buildings in Marblehead
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©2006 Bill Funkhouser
